Triton [hs au | completed]

7) Gimme Shelter

"Oh, so you're busy?"

"No!" she answers too quickly.

"That's what I thought." I smirk. "Since you don't have plans, would care to accompany me this shitty-ass show?"

"Wow, charming."

"Are you going or not?" I say annoyed.

"What time?"

"I'll pick you up at 6 at your place?"

"Do I get to ride on the back of your motorcycle?" she teases.

"I have a car." I retort. "I know you can't wait to get your legs around me, but you'll just have to wait." she chokes. I chuckle as I listen to her coughing, trying to catch her breath.

"I, uh, drink went down the wrong pipe." she sputters.

"Uh-huh." I say sarcastically. "Why don't you send me your address." she clears her throat one last time.

"How do you propose I do that? Does the Triton have a telegram service? Smoke signals, perhaps?"

"My phone can receive texts!" I defend.

"Okay, just let me pull your file." Fuck. I have a different phone number now.

"I actually have a new number. We've had a problem with guest getting staff numbers and calling them with complaints. So we have to change our number every time it happens." I just pulled all of that out of my ass.

"That's annoying." she sympathizes. "So what's the new number?"

"609-318-3456"

"I just text you. I've got an appointment in a few minutes, so I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay." I hang up and look at the text she sent me. I guess I could have asked Ashton for her address and not given out my phone number, but I'm sure Sophia would have some sort of lecture for that too. I walk back into the sitting room and return her phone.

"How did it go?" Sophia asks. She's reclining on the couch with the bag of crisps in her lap.

"Fine. Hope you're happy." I grumble.

"You're too stubborn for your own good." Liam interjects. He's sitting on the floor engaged in a game of FIFA on the Xbox. It feels surreal to see Liam and Sophia doing things normal people would after I just watched them trash a jewelry store and rob the owner at gunpoint. Liam's phone starts vibrating on the coffee table.

"Payne." he has the phone between his shoulder and cheek, allowing him to continue his game. "Okay. No problem, we'll debrief and be on our way." He pauses the game and hangs up his call.

"Who was that?" Sophia inquires, mouth half full of crisps.

"Niall. Keith's flight will be here an hour earlier than anticipated, which means we need to find Mikey and go." Sophia stands up, brushes the crumbs from her lap and begins putting on her boots. "Harry, go find Mikey and meet us in the kitchens." Liam commands.

***************

Michael and I are seated on one of the butcher block counter tops in the kitchen; we're sharing an order of onion rings I convinced one of the girls to cook for us. I'm not allowed to fuck them anymore, but she doesn't know that. She comes back around with two sodas for us and then lingers longer than necessary.

"Scram." Sophia commands as she and Liam approach us. The waitress glares at her and then storms off. The civilian female staff all seem to resent Sophia.